Nearly four years after suffering an ACL injury that pretty much ended his career, former Eagles running back Jay Ajayi finally got his insurance payout.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday morning reported that Ajayi “received a settlement for his $5 million loss-of-value insurance policy.”
Rapoport back in 2018, in the wake of Ajayi’s ACL tear that ended his 2018 season early, ajayi-had-insurance-policy-to-protect-from-injury-0ap3000000972694″>reported that Ajayi had purchased a loss-of-value insurance policy as he entered the final year of his rookie contract. That ended up being a wise move.
Ajayi, who had long had knee issues, tore his ACL in October of 2018, not that long after he helped the Eagles win their first-ever Super Bowl championship to cap the 2017 season.
While Ajayi rehabbed and played again in the NFL, he was never the same. In 2019, he played in just three games for the Eagles but had just 30 yards on 10 carries; he had nothing left.
While it’s unclear how much of that $5 million policy Ajayi received in the settlement, it’s worth noting that Ajayi never signed the big second contract so many NFL players yearn to get.
Ajayi was a fifth-round pick and his career earnings, according to OverTheCap, came in just under $4 million. That’s good money but it’s a fraction of the money Ajayi would have made with healthy knees. After all, Ajayi was a Pro Bowler in 2016 (he had over 1,200 yards rushing) and after he was traded to the Eagles in 2017, he averaged 5.8 yards per carry that season.
The Eagles traded for Ajayi before the deadline in 2017, shipping a 2018 fourth-round pick to Miami for the former Pro Bowler. In that stretch run of the 2017 season, Ajayi had 70 carries for 408 yards (5.8) and scored a touchdown in his first game with the Birds. In the playoffs that year, Ajayi had 184 rushing yards on 42 carries (4.4) and caught 6 passes for 70 yards.
He was the final piece added to the most unforgettable Eagles team in franchise history.
Ajayi, 28, officially retired from the NFL in January and was honored by the Eagles before their regular season finale in 2021. While he played in a total of 17 meaningful games with the Eagles, he left a mark.
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